Latest News

Greens in Norway are key players in the election and want to phase out oil gradually

The Green Party of Norway played a key role in Monday's re-election. It secured 4.7% of votes and ensured that Labour and its allies had 87 seats in Parliament - two extra than required to have a majority.

The Greens have a number of energy-related policy proposals. Here's a breakdown of their main ideas, the potential impact they could have, and whether or not it is likely that these will be implemented:

What do they want to do?

The Greens are calling for an immediate halt to new petroleum exploration and a phase-out of existing activities by 2040.

They also say that the country needs to remain a stable supplier of natural gas for Europe on a short-term basis, so the phase out must be gradual. Oil fields should take precedence over gas.

Norway is now Europe's biggest gas supplier after the Russian invasion of Ukraine 2022. It provides one-third of all gas imported to the European Union.

According to its proposal, existing fields will be closed one by one, starting with those that produce the most greenhouse gasses, the least revenue and more oil than natural gas.

The Greens want to stop all investments that aim to increase production or extend the life of fields in production. This includes projects to electrify platforms offshore with power generated from land.

WHAT WOULD THIS MEAN FOR THE STATE FINANCES

Norway invests its oil and gas revenues into a sovereign wealth fund of $2 trillion, the largest in the world. The fund invests in bonds and equities as well as property, renewable energy and other projects overseas.

According to the Greens, the state revenue from petroleum would fall by 70 billion crowns ($7.0billion) per year or 20% for the period until 2050. This is a worst case scenario, which excludes the potential positive impact of revenue from emerging industries in the context of the energy transformation.

How likely is it to happen?

Labour has four main parties that it relies on to support them: the Green Party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and the conservative party. All four parties have different priorities, and the oil and gas sector in Norway is just one. Labour still needs to pass their budget next month, and will depend on its allies including the Greens to do so.

Greens supporters will not expect them to win everything. But they need to demonstrate their support.

What does Europe think?

The Greens claim that their plan will maintain gas supplies in Europe for the short term, but in the long run the EU plans to reduce its emissions by 90-95% in 2040. This means its demand for fossil-fuels will decline.

In a post on social media, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission wrote that she would work closely with Norway in order to promote a shared commitment towards energy independence and clean energy.

Which fields may be closed and when?

The Greens' plan could see the first eight fields, including the Snoehvit Field, which supplies Arctic Hammerfest, shut down by 2030.

Arild Hermstad, leader of the Green Party, said: "This will reduce the emissions from fossil fuels and also ensure that we transfer the expertise, the people and the capital that this sector has to renewables."

According to official data, the combined output of the four fields that will have the highest emissions by 2024 is 5.33 million standard cu metres of oil equivalent or 2.2% Norway's total production of petroleum.

What about power exports? There are several parties in Norway who want to stop the cross-border exchange of electricity and refuse to renew interconnector cable - two cables from Denmark will be replaced by 2027. Not the Greens.

The party supports the European climate goals and wants Norway, which is not part of the EU, to work closely with Brussels. The Nordic nation participates in the common market of the union via the European Economic Area Treaty.

(source: Reuters)